Dear Listers,
I drove my TR6 with the 5-speed conversion from Triumphest in Ventura, CA to
Scottsdale, AZ yesterday. It was the first time I'd had a chance to drive it
with the transmission cover installed. It was quiet and smooth-shifting. When
entering the freeway, I accellerated confidently in 4th, and shifted into
fifth when I reached my cruising speed. I was able to stay with all traffic
without effort. It was readily noticeable how low the engine was spinning
compared to before. The legal freeway speed in AZ is 75. I cruised at 80 all
the way through AZ, with the engine spinning at 3,000 rpm. I could barely hear
it (BTW, I ride my motorcylce with ear plugs to drown out wind noise. I tried
this about halfway home with the top down, and it makes freeway driving much
more pleasurable). My transmission came out of a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.
First gear is quite low. It seems too low at first, but once I got used to it,
I like it. I get off the line easily. And, the most fun I have with my TR is
shifting through the gears. So it's not a problem. I suspect that all you with
higher-output engines may want a Celica transmission though.
Regarding the installation, here are some comments. First, I DIDN'T install
it. Herman did. And he did a super job! But I did install the transmission
cover. Herman MODIFIED my shifter; ie, I have the shifter from my old Triumph
4-speed welded to the Toyota shifter. It looks just like a stock TR setup.
However, the shifter is positioned about one inch forward of the old location.
I was able to install the shifter boot without modification. And, I do not yet
have the facia support bracket installed, so I can't comment on how that will
fit. While driving home, I noticed that the shifter boot would pop out of the
transmission cover. It is probably being pulled by the shifter being in the
forward, or fifth gear, position. Herman had advised that I modify the
transmission cover to move the opening forward by one inch. Before I do this,
I'm going to make sure the facia support bracket fits without interference,
and if it does, I may try modifying the shifter boot instead.
Here is a list of what else was done to my car: Hydraulic Throw-out bearing,
including steel braided hoses - $215, drive shaft modification - $150, Toyota
drive shaft yoke - $50, new pressure plate - $72, new clutch plate - $85,
Flywheel Re-ground - $33, Drilling and Tapping Flywheel - $60, machining
gearshift - $60. This should give you an idea of the total costs. Add the
transmission, which was $350 in my case, and you have a total of about $1,600.
You could get away with less.
Any questions of a technical nature, CALL HERMAN at 1-805-526-9526. The
response at Triumphest was tremendous. Herman tells me he has many orders
already, and will be placing the first production order soon. You'll want to
get in on this now, as the delivery time will be the earliest for the first
lot.
Regards/John Truttman, Scottsdale, AZ
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